LOWELL -- The oft-delayed and dreamed about Lowell Judicial Center finally seems to be on a track toward reality.

About a month after the state's top court official described the conditions of some of the city's courthouses as "grotesque," on Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Deval Patrick announced he has approved a minimum of $1 million to begin design work on the badly needed judicial center, which will anchor the Hamilton Canal District on its eastern end, near the Lord Overpass.

"This really is terrific news, the news we've been hoping to hear for a long, long time," said state Sen. Eileen Donoghue, of Lowell, who announced the funding in a mid-afternoon statement.

Donoghue said the funding will allow the state to hire an architect and a project manager. The funding announced by the governor's office will fund the project through the summer, with an additional round of funding to follow soon after. Donoghue has also spoken with the city's three state representatives, Tom Golden, David Nangle and Kevin Murphy, who have also been working to move the project forward.

The $175 million structure will provide state-of-the-art facilities for the Superior, District, Probate and Family, Juvenile, and Housing Courts for Northern Middlesex County.

"The new trial court will be a symbol of reinvestment in the city of Lowell and an icon for the entrance to downtown," said Donoghue.

Golden, D-Lowell, said there was concern among the delegation that there wouldn't be any funding available this year, and that the entire project could suffer if there wasn't.

Advertisement

"A lot of thanks goes to the governor for keeping this on track," Golden said. "Now we're going to continue moving forward, and on a project of this size and scope, I think the most important thing is to keep moving forward."

The courthouse will serve Lowell and its surrounding communities and will provide the courts and the public with a comprehensive justice center with all court services provided through a single efficient complex.

Finegold Alexander Architects of Boston will design the project, which is expected to break ground in spring 2015 and be completed in 2017.

Nangle said the judicial center is an "anchor" for the entire Hamilton Canal District project, and that this design money will help move the judicial center and the entire Hamilton Canal District forward.

"This will mean jobs when the judicial center is being built, and then it will just do wonders for that entire area," Nangle said. "We're grateful to the governor for allotting this money that keeps the design going and keeps the project on track."

Currently, the Lowell Trial Court operates in outdated facilities that are overcrowded, lack adequate security, and are energy inefficient. The new Lowell Trial Court will consolidate five court departments into a single, efficient comprehensive justice facility, replacing two state-owned buildings and one private lease. There will be 17 courtrooms, with state-of-the-art security and technology features.

"This new courthouse will be a modern, cutting-edge, energy efficient building that will set a new standard for sustainable design and quality of the environment for visitors and staff," said U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas of Lowell in a prepared statement. "It will serve as a new landmark in the heart of Lowell and a symbol of the city's reinvention."

The Lowell Trial Court will be a model project for energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy. The trial court will target LEED Platinum Certification by the US Green Building Council and will be designed to use 50 percent less energy than energy code requires, with a goal toward Zero Net Energy. Approximately 35 to 50 percent of the energy demand is planned to be produced by renewable technology on site with the potential to become Zero Net Energy through the addition of renewable power sources in the future.

Disposition of the existing Lowell Superior and Lowell District Court buildings will take place once the project is completed.

During a tour of Lowell Superior Court, on Gorham Street in October, Harry Spence, the state's court administrator, had this to say about the building: "This is totally unacceptable, I mean just grotesque, in terms of, among other things, constitutional standards. That courthouse has worn out its years as a courthouse."

Spence went on to say that new facilities are among the state's "highest priority."

Again, in reference to the superior court, Spence said: "This is a city where there is significant gang activities," said Spence, who noted the prisoner transfer into Lowell Superior is a backdoor on a public street. "This is right on the street on a public street. It's probably the most dangerous transfer point in the state."

For Lowell, the governor's Capital Investment Plan also includes $20 million for UMass Lowell's Perry Hall and $1.75 million for Middlesex Community College.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.